The Broken One
by Lucylo03
Summary: The family has a hard time dealing with Elizabeth after her trip to Iran, especially Jason.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This story takes place after Iran. I thought it would have been interesting if they had done more with Jason and the security guard situation. Here is my take on it. I hope you all enjoy._

 **The Broken One**

" _Henry," Elizabeth said as she crawled into the bed next to him. It was their last night on the farm. Tomorrow night they would be in their new home and their new life would begin._

" _Yes." He said as he closed his book and looked up at her. "What's wrong?" he asked as soon as he looked into her eyes. He knew immediately that something was bothering her. He figured it had something to do with the move and preparing for her new position. They had both been extremely stressed._

" _Nothing." She shook her head and then against the headboard. "Well." She jumped forward and turned to face him. "I want you to promise me something."_

" _Okay." He nodded and smiled. He wondered if she realized how adorable she was when she was nervous. Probably not. He would have to tell her later. He couldn't help but chuckle._

 _She gave him a glare. She was trying to be serious. "You have to promise not to let this job change me or us." Elizabeth stared at him with those big beautiful eyes. "No matter what happens."_

" _Things are going to change, Elizabeth." Henry said honestly. "But we are going to be fine."_

" _You don't know that." Elizabeth shook her head._

 _Henry touched her face gently and smiled at her. She really was the most beautiful woman in the world. "Yes I do because I know you, and I know us. We have been through a lot, and I know that there isn't anything that we can't handle as long as we have each other." Henry pulled her into his arms. "I can't promise that things won't change, and I know that it won't always be easy. Life never is. However, I can promise you that I will be by your side no matter what happens. We are in this together." He kissed her forehead. "It is you and me, babe."_

" _I love you." Elizabeth rested her head on his shoulder, and Henry held her close._

" _I love you, too." Henry smiled. In that moment, he knew that everything would be okay._

Now, Henry McCord wished he could go back to that moment. He needed things to go back to normal.

He tapped his finger rapidly against his laptop keypad. He hadn't typed one full sentence all day, which seemed to be a recurring issue. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't focus on his work. His mind constantly shifted back to Elizabeth and Iran. The worst part was not knowing exactly what she went through. He had prayed that she would finally open up to him about what happened. Sometimes she could be so damn stubborn, but she had never shutdown like this before. They were always able to talk to each other about everything, even if they had to leave out a few details here and there.

Even her response to George's death hadn't been this bad. It had taken her forever to breakdown, but that was mostly because her new job. She had eventually opened up. He remembered her crying for hours. Henry could only imagine how long she would cry if she finally opened up about Iran.

But then again, she had given no indication that she would ever discuss it. He knew that she would go crazy if she didn't. Honestly, he might.

He was also frustrated by her unwillingness to take any time off. She had gone back to work way before she was ready. He understood how she felt. It was true that women leaders had it harder than men. If she were a man, no one would question taking a few days to recuperate. But she wasn't a man, and Elizabeth didn't want anyone to think she was weak or undeserving of her position. He knew she was pushing herself way too hard.

There were also other things that were bothering him. He had made a mental list, adding something new every day.

Her mood swings.

The coldness in her voice.

The look of sadness in her eyes.

Her inability to sleep.

Her blank stares.

The quietness.

The secrecy.

The distance between them.

Her tone with the kids.

Her overprotectiveness with the kids, especially Jason.

The fact that for the first time he felt like he couldn't help her.

After his conversation with Kevin, he was 100% positive that his wife had PTSD. She had every symptom Kevin had listed off. Henry wanted to tell her and beg her to get help. But most of all he wanted to hold her tight and never let her go again. But he knew that wasn't an option. He also knew that she wasn't going to talk about it until she was ready. Therefore, all he could do was stand by her side and wait for her to let it all out.

He hoped for their children's sake that would happen soon. He didn't know how much more they could take. If he wasn't used to seeing Elizabeth this way, he knew they weren't. She was the most loving and caring mother he had ever known. Henry knew this had to be killing them.

He especially felt bad for Jason. First days were tough enough without having a 6'7 giant standing behind you. Henry had asked Jason how his first day had gone. He had mumbled that it was fine and stomped off to his room. Henry contemplated talking to him about it, but he wasn't sure that it would do any good. He knew Jason wasn't mad at him, and Henry didn't want Jason to be mad at his mother. Her fear was misplaced, but he didn't want to tell his thirteen year old son that. He would talk to him in time, once Elizabeth had finally opened up. He was sure that once she was in her right mind, she would loosen her grip and let Jason go to school alone. For now, he had decided to let Jason sulk.

"Dad," Stevie walked into the room, quietly, taking him away from his thoughts.

"Hey," He removed his glasses and looked up at his eldest daughter. He was surprised to see her. He hadn't realized anyone else was home. "I didn't know you were here."

"I've been here for about an hour." Stevie told him as she leaned against the doorframe. "I walked right past you."

"Right. I've been so focused on my book." Henry lied, hoping she would let it go.

"Uh huh." Stevie stared at her father. It broke her heart to see him so upset. She wasn't used to the distance between her parents. She knew her dad was trying to hide it, but he was unsuccessful in his attempts. "Sure."

"What?" Henry sighed. She wasn't going to let it go. She obviously wanted him to talk about it.

"I know you aren't okay." Stevie finally told him. "You don't have to hide it from me."

"I'm fine." Henry tried to reassure.

Stevie rolled her eyes and walked to her mother's desk chair and sat down. "I know you are trying to keep mom's issues a secret from us, but we all know that Iran really messed her up." She admitted.

Henry didn't know what he should say.

"She hasn't been the same since she got home. You can't hide that no matter how hard you try."

"Your mom is going to be fine." Henry told her. He wasn't sure who he was trying to convince.

"We are worried about her too. We will do whatever we need to do to help her." Stevie wanted to be as supportive as possible. She and her mom hadn't always gotten along, but they had finally come to an understanding. Stevie hated seeing her mom so lost and sad.

Henry sighed. He knew his kids weren't stupid. They were actually the most perceptive kids he had ever met. It didn't surprise him. It was exactly how they had raised them.

But even so, it was still his first instinct as a parent to shield them from the pain. He actually wanted to do the same thing for Elizabeth. He still regretted not trying harder to stop her from going to Iran. The husband card should have worked. He really couldn't help but feel guilty. "We just have to give her some time."

"I think she needs a little more than time." Stevie spoke bluntly. She really wanted him to open up to her. She wasn't a little kid. She could handle the truth. "You know that I'm right."

"Stevie," Henry started. She was too much like Elizabeth sometimes.

"It's okay dad," Stevie interrupted him. "I get it. I know you don't want to talk about it. You don't have to." Stevie smiled softly at her father. "I wanted you to know that I'm there for you. I also know that Ally and Jason are too. We will do whatever we can to help."

"Thanks sweetie," Henry was really happy to have her home. She had definitely been a big help. "I wish I…" Before he could finish his sentence, his cell phone rang. "Hello. This is Henry." He answered. Henry listened, and Stevie watched as her father's face changed from sad to angry. "He did what? That doesn't sound like Jason." Henry was in disbelief. Jason had been getting into more trouble than normal lately, and it was going to stop. They couldn't afford for him to get suspended again. "Don't worry. I will find him. But if you find him first, please let me know. And Kevin…Let him know he is in big trouble. Thank you." Henry hung up the phone.

"Dad," Stevie stood up. "What did Jason do?"

Henry immediately got on his computer. "It seems your brother ditched his last two classes and his security detail." Henry was mad at Jason, but to his surprise, he was also mad at Elizabeth. He couldn't help but feel like all of this could have been avoided.

"It is only his second day." Stevie laughed. She couldn't believe how dumb her brother was.

Henry gave her a look. "Yeah. Tell me about it." He stared at his computer and pushed a few buttons. "Great. I know exactly where he is." Henry jotted down the address down. "I think this is the address to the arcade he likes so much."

Stevie took the paper from him. "Yeah. That's definitely the arcade." She looked at her father. "Wait a minute. How were you able to find him so quickly?" Stevie crossed her arms, waiting for an explanation.

"Um," Henry stared at her guiltily. "Lucky guess." He laughed because he knew he had been caught.

"You have a tracker on his phone!" Stevie shook her head in disbelief. "Do you have a tracker on my phone?" Stevie pulled out her phone to check.

Henry was silent for a moment. "Yes." He admitted. "But in our defense we haven't used it on you since you were seventeen."

"I can't believe you guys spy on us." It really shouldn't have surprised her. They were so sneaky.

"It isn't spying. It is good parenting." Henry smiled. That was what they had always told themselves.

Stevie was actually relieved to see the smile on his face. "This is unbelievable. I should expect nothing less from the two of you."

"Sorry. But you have to admit it came in handy in this situation. At least we know where Jason is, and I can drag him home where he is going to stay for the foreseeable future." Henry grabbed his keys.

"Wait dad." Stevie stopped him. "Let me go. I'll bring him straight home."

Henry tossed her the keys.

"Besides you probably need to call and tell mom." Stevie had no idea how she would take it.

Henry shook his head. He hadn't decided if he was going to call her or not. This incident might throw her over the edge.

"You have to call her dad. She is going to find out eventually."

"I might wait until she gets home." Henry admitted. That would give him time to talk to Jason.

"I would advise against it." Stevie tapped him on the shoulder.

"Just bring your brother straight home." Henry told her.

"Got it." She turned to walk away, but then turned back around to face her father. "You used the tracker on me when I was dating that guy in high school you hated." Stevie finally put it all together. It made complete sense.

"Yep." Henry nodded as he sat back down in his chair. "We knew all along you didn't go on that church retreat."

"You guys are ridiculous." Stevie couldn't believe it had taken her thing long to put it all together. "I felt so guilty about lying to you. Mom kept telling me how proud she was of me. And you were so happy that you could trust me to make the right decisions. I worried myself sick for two weeks until I finally told you the truth."

Henry nodded again. That had been their master plan all along.

"And then you didn't even punish me. I felt even worse. I basically grounded myself." Stevie just shook her head. "I even broke up with him."

Henry stood up and walked over to his daughter. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You want to know a secret?"

Stevie stared at him.

"That was all part of our plan. We were actually pretty impressed with ourselves. It was parenting at its finest." He gave her a hug. "Do you forgive us?"

"Sure. As long as you promise to take it off of my phone."

"Deal." Henry smiled.

"Thank you." Stevie hugged him again. "I'll be back soon with your little ditcher."

"Thank you sweetie."

Stevie left and Henry walked back to his desk. He picked up his phone to call Elizabeth. He wasn't sure if he should. She was going to be mad, and he honestly didn't want to fight with her.

He put down the phone. He would call her after Jason was back home.

Henry hoped he was making the right decision.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Broken One**

Blake hung up his phone and sighed heavily. He was now faced with a dilemma. He never kept anything from his boss, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be the one to deliver this news to her. He felt like it should come from Dr. McCord. Blake was actually surprised he hadn't called yet.

He couldn't believe how nervous he was. He was never nervous, but lately it was common feeling for him while he was at work. He hated it.

"Blake." Nadine approached his desk. "Are you okay? Because you look like you are about to pass out."

"I…Um..I'm…Fine…" Blake stuttered. He usually never had a problem with words.

"What's wrong?" Nadine crossed her arms, preparing herself for the worst. With her job she never knew what crisis might happen next. "Spill it."

"Well." Blake paused for a moment, debating on whether or not to tell her. She was giving him a stern look. He hated that look on Nadine. "Diplomatic Security phoned to let Madam Secretary know that young Jason McCord ditched his security detail." He gave in and told her.

"Oh." Nadine sighed. She could see the predicament he was in. The Secretary had experienced more outbreaks in the past two days than her entire time in office. There was no telling what she might do or say if Blake told her about Jason. However, since she was an emotional wreck there was a possibility that she would actually fire Blake if she found out that he knew and didn't tell her. Usually, Nadine never had to worry about Blake. He and the Secretary were so close, but lately things were different. Nadine wasn't sure what to expect.

"Nadine," Blake waved his hands in front of her. "Please come back to planet earth and help me decide whether or not I should tell the Secretary."

"Tell me what?" Elizabeth walked up behind the two of them, startling Blake.

Nadine nervously looked at Blake. There was no way she could help him out of this one. She could see him fidgeting and his mind running a mile a minute with possible excuses to tell her.

Elizabeth stared at both of them blankly, becoming more and more frustrated by the second. "Someone better tell me what's going on now?" Elizabeth finally demanded.

"Jason ditched his detail and his last two classes." Blake admitted, praying she wasn't going to snap at him.

Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief. "Great." She looked over at Nadine. "Please clear my schedule for the next hour." She looked at Blake. "Have my car waiting for me. I'll be ready in five minutes."

"Yes ma'am." Nadine and Blake both responded quickly and in unison.

She started to walk off towards her office. Blake was relieved until she paused and turned back to face them. "And Blake." She stared at him more coldly than she ever had before.

Blake looked back her, bracing himself for the worst. He was secretly praying she wasn't going to fire him. He loved his job, and even though she was being a real jerk he cared about her. She was one of the good ones. She had always been a good boss, and it would be completely unfair for him to lose his job over nothing.

"It is always in your best interest to tell me everything, especially if it involves my children. Is that understood?" Elizabeth asked.

Blake nodded, "Yes ma'am."

"Wonderful." She walked back into her office.

Blake and Nadine shared looks. They were both ready for her to go back to normal. Neither one of them knew how much more they could handle of "Emotional Elizabeth".

* * *

Jason McCord stood in front of the pinball machine. He was losing horribly. Most days he was the king of the pinball machine or really any game at the arcade. Jason had always enjoyed going to the arcade. His mom used to take him when he was having a bad day. She would always say that the arcade was the best place to be a kid, even if you were an adult. It was like a free pass.

He guessed that was the reason why he had ended up at the arcade after ditching Kevin. He felt bad about Kevin. He actually liked the guy. The fact that he ran off had nothing to do with Kevin. He was mad at his mom. She was being extremely unfair. He felt like she had lied to him, and that was one thing his parents never did. They were always honest or so he thought.

"Hey kid." Stevie said as she walked up beside the pinball machine. "That's a pretty bad score for pinball." She pointed to the screen and smiled.

"Thanks captain obvious." Jason sighed as he let the last ball drop. "What are you even doing here?" He asked her.

"I think the better question would be why aren't you at school?" The tone in Stevie's voice sounded so much like their mom's. It was definitely weird how similar they were, even if Stevie never wanted to admit it.

"I got confused and thought this was where my last class was meeting." Jason said sarcastically.

"Alright smartass." Stevie hit his shoulder gently and led him to an empty table to sit down. "I can't even begin to understand what you were thinking. It was your second day, Jase."

"Thanks mom." He mocked her. "How did you even know that I was here?" Jason asked. "You really have picked up on mom's spy skills."

"It wasn't me. I don't have any spy skills." Stevie smiled innocently. "It seems there is an app for that." She pointed at his phone.

Jason made a face as he put it all together. "What? We can never escape." Jason sat his phone on the table. "I can't believe they track us." His parents were unbelievable. He thought they trusted him.

"Yeah. But we shouldn't be all that surprised. Besides dad says they hardly use it." Stevie tapped his shoulder. "He kind of had to use it today since you went AWOL." Stevie let him have it. She felt like it was her duty as his big sister.

Jason sighed. "I'm sure the tracker thing was mom's idea. She makes all these dumb rules, and it is totally unfair." He was so mad at their mom.

This was unusual for Jason. He was always defending their mom. Stevie was usually the one butting heads with Elizabeth. Jason and Ally had always worshiped her. Stevie found it weird to be the one advocating for her mom. "Come on Jase, you need to give mom a break. She has been through a lot lately. You just have to give her some time, and I'm sure things are going to go back to normal." Stevie tried to reason with him, but she was certain of what he was going to say next.

"You're one to talk," he pointed at her. "You were mad at mom for months, and you wouldn't even tell us why." Jason had asked both his mom and Stevie what was going on, but neither one of them would talk about it. It was some big secret, and he thought it was so stupid.

"Things are more complicated that you would know."

"You continue to sound just like mom." Jason scoffed.

"There are some things we don't understand, and honestly we may never understand them."

Jason just glared at her. He wasn't buying it.

Stevie sighed. Now she realized exactly how her mom must have felt during some of their debates. She had never realized how stubborn Jason was. It must be hereditary or something. "I know you're mad, and I know that it sucks to have security."

"No you don't because you don't have security."

"Mom's just trying to protect you." Stevie argued with him. "She is our mom she has that right."

Jason shook his head. "I don't think it has anything to do with protecting me. I think she is trying to ruin my life."

"Yeah. I think I've said that a thousand times before." Stevie smiled. It was kind of funny how things could be put into perspective. "I realize how wrong I was now. And one day you will too."

"I can't believe you are defending her." Jason shook his head. "Things really have changed."

Stevie gave him a look, trying to rack her brain to find the right thing to say. "I was overcome with guilt when we thought mom might not come home from Iran." Stevie admitted. She had never told anyone that before.

Jason looked at her attentively.

"I was worried she might not know how much I love her, and it was an awful feeling. I spent so much time this past year being mad at her for things that don't even really matter. That's time we will never get back, and I thought I might not get a chance to tell her how happy I was to have her as my mom." Stevie placed her arm around his shoulders. "I don't want you to ever have to worry about that feeling. And I know that I'll probably disagree with her again soon, and there is no doubt in my mind we will have a million more arguments, but I don't plan on walking away from them again."

"So what are you suggesting that I do?" Jason asked, he was finally beginning to listen to her.

"Talk to mom about how you feel, and just give her some time to process what happened in Iran."

"How will she ever be able to process it if she won't even talk to dad?" Jason stood up.

Stevie shrugged. She didn't have the answer to that question.

"I don't think things are ever going to be the same again. No matter how hard we try to pretend." Jason walked back over to the pinball machine and grabbed his backpack. "You know what I wish?"

"What?"

"I wish I could take back my yes vote. I keep replaying that day in my head over and over again. I said yes because I thought it would be cool to have a famous mom, but it isn't. It sucks." Jason walked past her.

"Jason," Stevie called out for him.

"Let's just go home. I'm ready to get dad's lecture over with it."

Stevie sighed. She felt like she hadn't helped the situation at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Broken One**

 **Chapter 3**

Henry was waiting patiently for Stevie and Jason to come home. He had received Stevie's text, and he knew they would be there soon.

The door opened and shut quickly. "Jason." Henry called out for him.

Elizabeth walked into the office where Henry was sitting. "It is a little early for Jason to be home." Elizabeth pointed at her watch. "Is there a reason you are expecting him?" Elizabeth tone was cold, and Henry could already tell where this conversation might lead.

"Elizabeth," Henry stood up to greet her. He walked to give her a hug, but she surprisingly backed away from him, shaking her head. She never backed away from his touch.

"Why didn't you call me about Jason?"

"I was going to call you as soon as Stevie brought him home." Henry defended his actions. "I know exactly where he is. I used that app tracker." They used to laugh about the tracker. They spied because they cared. That's what they would always say. But she wasn't laughing now.

"Yeah me too. He was at that damn arcade he likes so much." Elizabeth sighed and sat her things down on her desk. "We drove by there, but I decided not to get out. I didn't want to cause a scene." She turned back to face her husband. "Normally you would have called me immediately."

"Yeah…Well…" Henry trailed off. He decided it wasn't the best time to go there. Jason would be home soon, and they needed to deal with him first. Their issues could wait. "I'm sorry. I knew that you had a lot of meetings today, and I didn't want to worry you."

"You can always call me when it involves our children, and you know that." Elizabeth informed him. "You know that you and the kids always come first. So don't use that as your excuse for not calling me. You didn't call me because you blame me for this."

"I don't blame you. That's ridiculous." Henry fought back. His voice was louder than he intended it to be.

"I can see it in your eyes." Elizabeth pointed at him. "You're actually mad at me about this." Her voice was getting louder.

Henry was about to yell back when the door opened and Jason and Stevie walked in.

"Hey guys." Stevie was the first to speak. She could feel the tension in the air.

Jason remained silently behind his sister.

"Hey you two." Henry greeted them, looking mostly at Jason.

"Oh Jason." Elizabeth walked past Henry and hugged her son. "I'm so glad you are okay." At least he was safe, and she could protect him.

"He was right where your app said he would be." Stevie told them.

"Thanks for picking him up, sweetie." Henry smiled at her and then pointed at Jason. "We need to talk to you."

Jason frowned and dropped his shoulders and his backpack. He really just wanted to go upstairs to his room and avoid the lecture.

"That's my cue." Stevie tapped Jason on the back. "Good luck kid." She told her brother before she walked upstairs to her room.

Henry led Jason into the office. "Sit."

He did as he was told. His dad sat in his office chair, but his mom remained standing. Jason looked in-between both of his parents, waiting for one of them to speak. He had been in trouble many times before. Most of his punishment talks started out the same way, but this one seemed different. His parents were distant. They usually sat close together, even holding hands from time to time. They always presented a united front, and Jason knew he could never break that front. This all felt too weird, and he hated it.

"Can we just get this over with?" Jason finally asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"I'm not sure that is what you really want." Elizabeth answered.

Henry shot her a look. "Jason," Henry began, his tone soft and nurturing.

"You know what this isn't fair," Jason stood up. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"I beg to differ." Elizabeth said sternly with her arms folded. "Skipping school and ditching your security definitely fall on the list of things you shouldn't do. Besides, Jason it was only your second day of school. Do you want to get expelled from this school too?"

"Yeah that was my goal." Jason smarted off.

"Jason, come on. Don't talk to your mother like that." Henry warned him. "Sit down and let's talk about this."

"It is not going to matter. She isn't going to listen to me." Jason shook his head. "I don't need security." He looked at his mom. "I just want to be a normal kid at a normal school. That was supposed to be the deal."

"Jason, I'm sorry but you don't get to be a normal kid. My job…" Elizabeth started to explain.

"Yeah your job sucks." Jason yelled. "I hate it."

"Jason," Henry stood up. "I think you need to go upstairs and calm down." He knew they probably all needed to calm down.

"Dad," Jason pleaded with him. "You know I'm right. You know that I will be okay without security. And you know that this has nothing to do with me. She's going through something that isn't even about me." Jason looked at Henry hoping he would agree with him.

He looked at his mom. She was redder than normal.

"You need to talk someone about Iran and leave me alone." Jason said, angrily, before stomping up to his room.

"Jason," Elizabeth called out for him, but he was already gone.

Henry looked at Elizabeth. They heard the door slam.

"You shouldn't have let him walk away like that." Elizabeth told him.

"You saw how he was acting. We weren't going to have a normal conversation with him."

Elizabeth was about to speak, but her mind went to Iran. She could feel Fred on top of her. It felt like he was squishing her, and she would never be able to get up. She couldn't save them. After a few moments, she was finally able to bring herself back to her current reality.

Henry noticed but didn't say anything.

"You never let him talk to me like that." Elizabeth sighed. She felt like her emotions were about to explode. She knew things weren't right, but she could handle it. She just needed to get over it.

"You never act the way your acting." Henry told her, preparing himself for the backlash. "I know that you are having a hard time Elizabeth. That is understandable. But you need to talk to me about it. I can't help you if you won't talk to me."

"I'm fine." She lied. "I just wish you would back me up with Jason. We have always been a team."

"Yes that's true, but I don't agree with you on this one." Henry told her. "I don't think that this has anything to do with Jason needing security. You know that. I know that. And he knows that."

"So you think he had every right to skip school?" Elizabeth asked.

"No. Absolutely not. There will be consequences for that. I'm talking about the security and you."

"Fine." Elizabeth sighed. She hated when she and Henry weren't connecting. "I need to get back to work."

"Elizabeth," He touched her arm gently causing her to flinch. It broke his heart.

"Please. Call in for the rest of the afternoon. We need to talk about Iran and about Jason. Let's go through this together. Hell, we can sit in silence if that is what you need." He was praying that something would get through to her.

Elizabeth looked into his eyes. She wasn't ready, and she didn't know when or if she would be. "I'm fine. I don't need to talk about anything. I just need to get back to work." She grabbed her things.

"But I need to talk about it." Henry admitted. "I need to talk about how I felt. I could have lost you. Damn it Elizabeth I don't know what I would do without you, and I was so close to having to figure it out. I need to talk about it with you. You are the only one that is going to understand." Henry could feel tears rushing to his eyes, but he tried to hold them back. He didn't want to cry in front of her. That's not what she needed, and it wasn't what he needed either. "I want to talk about the girls and how they felt. I want to talk to you about how strong they were. They reminded me so much of you in those moments. I want you to know that."

Elizabeth didn't think she could handle it. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and hold him forever. She couldn't do it. "You shouldn't have told the girls."

Henry squinted. "Seriously. That's what you got out of that. I didn't tell them. They figured it out. They are pretty perceptive. They must get that from you too." Henry's tone was again angrier than intended. "Maybe we shouldn't talk until you're ready. I just hope you're ready sooner rather than later. I need my Elizabeth back." He leaned and kissed her forehead and then walked out of the room.

Elizabeth sighed heavily and stared towards the kitchen where she figured Henry had headed. She hated fighting with him. It was a horrible feeling. She felt so disconnected from him. It wasn't his fault, but she didn't want to talk about what happened with anyone, not even Henry. It was bad enough that it was replaying over and over again in her head. She couldn't bear to talk about it out loud.

She made sure she had all of her things and then walked out of the house.

* * *

After his argument with Elizabeth, Henry had decided to go for a long run. Running was the best way for him to clear his mind. He knew he needed sometime before he talked to Jason.

As soon as he walked into the house, the smell of fresh baked cookies hit his nose. He knew it had to be Allison. She was the baker in the family. But usually there was always a reason for her to pull out the cookie sheets.

He walked into the kitchen. "Wow noodle. It smells great in here." Henry greeted her with a smile. He raised his arms to hug her, but she held out her arms in protest. "No. No. No." She squealed. "Don't touch me until after you have had a shower." She ran away from his so that the counter was separating them.

"Can I at least have a cookie?" He took a cookie before she could answer. "These are delicious."

"Thanks." Allison smiled. "Mom loves cookies. So don't eat them all."

Henry figured out her reason for baking. Elizabeth. Allison was the worrier in the family, and she always wanted to try and fix everything. "She will love them, as long as there is some ice cream."

"There are three different flavors." Allison smiled. Her mother was addicted to ice cream. "When do you think she will be home?"

Henry took another cookie from the plate and walked over to the kitchen table. "I think she has to work late." He knew that wasn't completely true. She could come home if she wanted to. But she probably wouldn't be home until after he had already gone to bed. That was a common occurrence these days.

"Oh." Allison said sadly.

"What's on your mind?" Henry asked but already knew the answer.

"Nothing." Allison took another batch of cookies out of the oven. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Come on noodle." He patted the seat next to him. "If there is something on your mind then we should talk about it."

Allison bit her bottom lip and contemplated whether she should talk to him about it or not.

Henry gave her another a look. He never wanted her to feel like they couldn't discuss things, even if it was about Elizabeth. He knew that the kids were struggling, and he wanted to stay on top of it. He had clearly failed with Jason, and he didn't want to do that with Ally.

"I'm worried about mom." Allison admitted.

"I know you are. But she…" Henry started.

"Don't say that." Allison stopped him as she sat beside him. "Don't say that everything is going to be okay because you don't know that for sure. I don't want you to feed me the basic line you guys always give me."

"Ally," Henry was surprised by her bluntness.

"I know that something is wrong with her. You don't have to lie about it or sugar coat it. I'm a big girl. I can handle it." Allison told him.

Henry couldn't believe how much she was growing up. His little girl had grown up in a blink of an eye. "Your mom is going to be fine. That isn't a lie. She just needs sometime to deal with everything that happened in Iran."

"She has PTSD, right?" Allison blurted out taking Henry by surprise. "I did some research on her symptoms. She definitely has it." She stood up and walked to her backpack, pulling a handful of papers out of her bag. "See." She handed them to her dad. "I highlighted the most important things."

Henry smiled. Allison was a good mix of both he and Elizabeth. She was the most determined kid he had ever met. He made a mental note not to describe her as a kid out loud.

"Well. You agree right. She has PTSD." Allison pointed at the papers in his hands.

Henry sighed and looked down at the papers. "Yes." He told her without looking up.

"She needs to get help. It is only going to get worse. It says that a person with PTSD should talk to someone immediately. It could last for years if she doesn't open up about it now." Allison told him. "And there are going to be certain things that trigger it. I'm sure this stuff with Jason has made her worse."

"Sweetie," Henry tried to find the right words. He didn't know what to say and that was a first for him. "You know your mom, and you know that she is kind of stubborn."

Allison chuckled. That was true.

"She really is going to be okay. I know that just seems like a bunch of words, but I've known your mother for a long time. She has been through a lot, and she always perseveres. She just needs to know that we are here for her, and we have her back no matter what."

Allison nodded. "It's kind of hard. She doesn't seem like my mom anymore. I know she is here, but it doesn't feel like she is. I feel like those bombers in Iran took her from me. And he makes me mad." She had tears in her eyes.

"I know noodle. But she is still your mom, and she loves you more than you could ever know." Henry hoped she understood that. It was hard for him too. He held out his arms and this time she didn't protest. Allison let her father wrap her in his arms. She didn't care how smelly he was. She could take a shower later.

"Now you're all sweaty." Henry laughed.

"That's okay." Allison smiled at her dad. "I need to know one more thing." She said after a few moments.

"Okay." Henry looked at her, unsure of what else she needed to know.

"Are you and mom going to be okay?"

Henry nodded. "Of course. You never have to worry about us. We always be fine. Got it."

Allison nodded. "Got it." She really did believe him.

Henry sniffed. "I think your cookies might be burning."

"Oh no." Allison jumped up and pulled the last baking sheet out of the oven. "They are just a little brown." Allison laughed. "I'm sure Jason will still eat them."

"We can make some more." Henry told her as he walked to the fridge to get some more dough.

"I think you need a shower first." Allison laughed as she took the dough from him.

"You are probably right." Henry hugged her one last time. "I want you to stop worrying about your mom. I want you to worry about sixteen year old stuff, like getting your driver's license."

Allison's face lit up. "Will you take me driving tomorrow?" She said excitedly.

Henry walked to the stairs. "Maybe."

"It will definitely take my mind off of things." Allison grinned.

"I love you noodle." He yelled from the top of the stairs.

"I love you too dad." She began pulling apart some more cookie dough.

Henry sighed as he walked into his bedroom. He hoped his conversation with Jason would go as good as that one had. He had a feeling it probably wouldn't.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Broken One**

 **Chapter 4**

Henry knocked on Jason's bedroom door. He didn't hear Jason respond, but he walked in anyway. "Hey Jase," he said as he walked in.

"Dad." Jason was sitting at his desk. He tried to hide the fact that he was reading a comic book instead of doing his homework, but his tradecraft skills were laughable.

"What you got there?" Henry extended his hand. "Come on. Hand it over." He said after seeing Jason's reluctant face.

Jason did as he was told all while rolling his eyes.

Henry took a look at the comic book. "This is a good issue." He sat it on Jason's bookshelf. "But you should be doing your homework."

"I already did it."

Henry gave him his I know better look and crossed his arms. "Really?"

"I've done most of it." Jason sighed.

"You're going to finish it after dinner." Henry sat on the edge of Jason's bed. "We need to talk."

Jason dropped his head and turned his chair to face his dad. "Can we pretend like we did and don't?" He mocked.

"Nice try."

"Come on, dad. I know you're mad at me. I don't need a lecture." He started to turn around in his chair, but Henry stopped it with his foot.

"I'm not mad at you, Jason. I'm more disappointed than anything."

"That's worse." Jason felt bad. He would much rather they be mad at him.

Henry smiled a little on the inside. Elizabeth said that she hated it when her parents told her that they were disappointed in her. It was almost worse than a punishment. She said she wanted to use it on their kids one day. So they always threw it out there whenever they could. Most of the time they could tell that it worked.

"I'm not here to lecture you, but we are going to discuss what you did today."

"I know I shouldn't have skipped school or ditched Kevin. I'm sorry." Jason shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He hoped his sorry would work, and they could abandon this conversation.

"Or disrespected your mom." Henry added.

"I know. I'm sorry about that too."

"Why did you skip school?" Henry asked.

"I already told you I did it because I thought mom was being unfair."

"Yes. I vaguely remember you yelling it at us."

"Well that's why I did it."

"And you obviously wanted to get caught." Henry pointed out.

Jason shrugged. "No."

"You didn't think it through. You had to know we would find out."

"I might have gotten away with it, had you not used your tracking app." Jason frowned.

"Stevie told you." Henry sighed.

Jason nodded. "It was probably mom's idea. I guess she doesn't trust any of us."

"Hey lay off your mom." Henry said sternly. "Besides, it was a good thing I had the app. I would have been worried about you. You know that we need to know where you are at all times. That's the rule."

"Yeah I really don't think that is the point of ditching school." Jason mocked.

"Alright wise guy." Henry playfully messed up Jason's hair. "The real point is that you know better, and you shouldn't have done it. I mean come on Jase, it is your first week of school."

"I know. But don't I get a pass this one time since mom is all messed up."

"No way." Henry shook his head. "You don't get to use your mom as an excuse. You made a decision and that decision has consequences."

"But you agree that she is all messed up. It's like she is broken inside or something." Jason argued, hoping to sway the conversation back to his mom.

"I'm not going to lie to you." Henry stood up and leaned against Jason's shelf. "I'm worried about your mom too. She is having a difficult time dealing with what happened in Iran."

"Why won't she talk about it?" That confused Jason most of all. His mom was always able to talk to his dad about everything.

"It's too hard for her to talk about. And if I know your mom like I think I do then she probably feels guilty." Henry admitted. He hadn't said that out loud to anyone, and he wasn't sure why he was telling his thirteen year old son.

"Why would she feel guilty? She didn't plan the coup."

"No. She did everything in her power to stop it. But that doesn't keep her from feeling responsible. She is having a hard time dealing with it, but I can assure you with time everything will be okay." Henry hoped he sounded convincing. "She needs to deal with it in her own way."

"She needs to talk about it dad." Jason was now standing. "I can't believe she would blame herself. Social media is calling her a hero."

"She doesn't feel that way." Henry could only imagine what Elizabeth would say if she heard Jason call her a hero.

"This sucks." Jason was becoming frustrated. "Can she quit her job?"

Henry could see in Jason's eyes that he wasn't kidding. It was a real question.

"I've had enough of her job. It isn't fair."

"She can't quit." Henry told him. Sometimes he wished that she could. Their lives would be so much easier. But he knew that Elizabeth loved her job even though it was stressful most of the time. She was brilliant, and she was making a difference in the world. He was sure that she had thought about quitting. She would probably never admit it to him. But he knew that she could never quit. She would be bored doing something else. They were happy before with their life on the farm, but Henry always knew that she missed her CIA life. She was meant for more than academia. She couldn't quit.

"And I don't think that you really want her to quit."

"Yes I do." Jason said quickly. "Especially if it is going to make her feel like she feels now."

"Are you sure you aren't just saying that because you're mad about the security detail?" Henry questioned him as he sat back down on the bed.

Jason didn't say anything.

Henry patted the bed beside him, and Jason sat down. "I know it isn't easy, but we all agreed that we were in this together. We've got to have your mom's back, no matter what. That's the only way this family works."

"I thought there would be more perks." Jason admitted.

Henry laughed. "We might could score more football tickets here and there for you."

"Sweet." Jason smiled.

"But you've got to promise to talk to us." Henry warned him. "No more skipping school. I've already told you what will happen if you get expelled from this school."

"Will you really send me to military school?" Jason had his doubts.

Henry nodded. "Of course we would. So you better be on your best behavior for the duration or you will be in uniform."

"Okay. I got it."

Henry stood up. "Oh and I almost forgot. You're grounded for the weekend. Which means no video games or electronics this weekend. You're going to be staying in this weekend."

"Seriously." Jason groaned.

"Seriously." Henry mocked. "You are also going to write Kevin an apology letter. He could have lost his job."

"Is he still going to be following me around at school?"

"Yes." Henry didn't think he needed it, but Elizabeth did. And he was going to have her back.

Jason sighed. He didn't think it was fair, but he wasn't going to complain.

"Oh and I talked to your principal. You have detention for a week."

"What?" Jason protested. "That's not fair."

"If it was up to me it would have been for longer than a week." Henry told him. "Maybe next time you will think twice before skipping school."

"Yeah."

Henry walked to Jason's door. "Hey Jase."

Jason looked at his father.

"Everything is going to be okay. You don't need to worry about your mom. You can leave that up to me."

Jason nodded. "Okay."

"I love you."

"Love you too." Jason fell back onto his bed. He couldn't help but worry about his mom. He was scared she would never be the same.

Outside the room, Henry leaned against the wall. That hadn't gone too bad, but he would have liked to have had Elizabeth by his side.

* * *

Elizabeth was laying on her couch in her office. She was appreciative of the comfortable couch perfectly placed in her office. It had come in handy more than she ever imagined it would.

Her eyes were closed, but she wasn't asleep. To be honest, she couldn't remember the last time she had slept. Sleeping was difficult. She couldn't find a way to shut off her brain. Every time she closed her eyes, she was taken back to Iran. Bombs were exploding. Gunfire filled the room. Jovani was shot right in front of her eyes. She could hear Fred yelling for her to get down, and then jumping in front of a bullet that was meant for her. She couldn't get the image of his dead body out of her mind. Fred was a very good man, and he had died saving her life. If he had been one second slower, she wouldn't be here. She couldn't believe she would never get to argue with him again about where she could and could not go. It was all surreal.

And then there was poor little Abdol. All he wanted was for his father to help him with his math homework. He should not have had to witness his father's death. His cries haunted her. She could only imagine had it been one of her children.

Adults were responsible for protecting their children. They needed to make the world a safer place. She felt like she was failing.

Her mind then shifted to Jason. He was so mad at her, but she knew she was making the right decision. The extra security was the only way she could make sure he was protected. He would thank her later. She hated that Henry didn't agree with her. They didn't always agree, but they usually worked it out together. She knew it was her fault that they were disconnected, but she wasn't ready to talk about Iran. It was better to keep it to herself. She could handle it. However, she knew that she couldn't keep avoiding Henry, the kids, and the house. She needed to go home.

She opened her eyes to see Blake standing near the entrance to her office. "Oh my God." She jumped. "Blake, what are you doing here?" She held her hand to her chest and breathed heavily. "You scared the hell out of me."

"Oh I'm sorry ma'am. I was just checking in on you." He walked further into the room.

Elizabeth looked at her watch. "It's one in the morning. What are you still doing here?"

"You're still here." Blake remarked with his nervous, goofy smile. He half expected her to go off on him. Her temper had been short circuited lately, and even the littlest thing would throw her off.

"Yes." Elizabeth squinted. "I was working on a few things." She stood up and walked over to her desk. She ran her fingers over a few of her papers.

"It looks like you were taking a nap to me. Something you could probably do at home." Blake tried not to be too snarky.

She squinted again and gave him a disapproving look. "I was napping. I was resting my eyes." She actually wished she could nap. "Besides, I'm the Secretary of State. My job is never done. I can stay at work for as long as I want."

"I guess that means my job is never done seeing on how I'm your assistant. I thought you might need some help." He wasn't the only one worried about her. Nadine had asked him to stay and keep an eye on her. Dr. McCord had called around ten to check on her. He had texted Elizabeth but had only gotten a short reply. He called Blake to make sure she was alright. She was far from alright, but he agreed to stay with her until she finally decided to go home. It really hadn't been all that bad. He actually found it to be productive.

"I'm fine Blake." She reassured him. "I don't need a babysitter."

"Well that's not my job title ma'am." Blake said sharply.

"You're pushing it Blake."

"Understood." Blake said quietly. He wanted to tell her the truth. He wanted to tell her how worried he was about her. Hell, everyone was worried about her.

He started to walk out of her office, but the he stopped himself. He took a deep breath. "Ma'am, can I say something?"

Elizabeth gave him a hard look. "Depends on what you are going to say."

He walked further into her office and sighed. "Do you remember my interview?"

Elizabeth shook her head. "You would be surprised about what I'm able to forget." That wasn't the complete truth. Blake stood out from the very minute she met him. He had given the best interview of all the candidates. She knew he would make the best assistant and confidant.

"That's funny, because I remember it as if it happened yesterday." Blake began, hoping he could get through to her. "You told me that your assistant was the most important job in the office. Your assistant was in charge of making sure you were always at the top of your game. You made me promise that if you gave me the job that I would be honest with you and always have your back." Blake took a breath. "I promised you on that day that my loyalty would always lie with you and it always has. You also told me that you were giving me the job because you had a good feeling about me."

"I did. I still do." Elizabeth interrupted.

"You also said I was the most like you because neither one of us were Washington. We are real and we want to make a real difference in the world."

"Yes Blake. But why are we going down memory lane?"

"I didn't want you to go to Iran because I was scared that something might happen to you." Blake admitted. "I wanted to yell at you to stay, but I didn't think it would do any good."

"Probably not." Elizabeth grinned. "It might have even made me mad." She finally sat down in her chair and waited to listen to the rest of Blake's speech. Surprisingly, it was making her feel better.

"That's what I thought." Blake sighed again. He didn't know why he was so nervous. He was usually a fairly confident young man. "I know why you had to go to Iran. We would most likely be at war if you hadn't."

"Probably."

"Ma'am I'm sorry I'm rambling. I'll try to get to the point." He had almost forgotten what the point was. "Your trip to Iran affected me too. It affected all of the people who care about you. When we heard about the explosion none of us could speak. We thought we had lost you. Trying to imagine the world without Elizabeth McCord is an extremely frightening thing. I just thought you should know that a lot of people care about you, and we have your back. This department and this country needs you." Blake smiled. He thought he had finally gotten to the point.

"Are you trying to get a raise?" Elizabeth made a joke.

"No ma'am. I'm perfectly fine with my salary." Blake smiled. "I'm going to go back to my desk so you can get the rest of your work done. Please let me know if you need anything." He turned to leave.

"You know Blake." She stopped him.

He turned back around.

"I hired you because you didn't bullshit me."

Blake chuckled. He always liked how honest and real she was.

"I had a stain on my shirt during the interview, and you let me know it by pulling out a stain pen and giving it to me." She opened her top desk drawer and pulled out the pen. "You even let me keep it because you always had a spare."

"You can never be too prepared." He smiled.

"You are even the reason why I keep extra outfits in the office."

"You never know when you are going to need to spruce up a bit."

"The point is that you keep me ahead of the game." Elizabeth smiled.

"I always will. You can trust me with your life and your career."

"So you've said." She stood up. "Thank you."

Blake nodded.

"I think it is time for me to go home."

"I'll call for your car." Blake walked out of her office.

Elizabeth grabbed her briefcase. She appreciated Blake, but he had confirmed that she needed to keep her issues a secret. The State Department needed her at her very best and so did the country. She had to get it together.

* * *

The next morning Elizabeth walked into the bedroom. Henry was sitting on the edge of the bed. His alarm had just gone off.

He groggily rubbed his eyes. "Are you just getting in?" He was concerned.

"No. I slept on the couch."

"Elizabeth," his voice turned to hurt. They should never sleep apart if they were able to sleep together. "You shouldn't…."

"Please." She held out her hand. "Let's not argue. I don't want argue. I don't want to talk. I just want you to hold me." She walked over to the bed and fell into his arms.

Henry wrapped his strong arms around her. She felt safe in his arms.

Henry didn't say anything. He wanted to say something, but he was just happy to have her in his arms. "I love you, Elizabeth." He hoped she knew that.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the lack of updates. Hopefully, I will do better. Hope you all are still reading this.**

 **Chapter 5**

Alison stared blankly into her locker. She felt like she was about to fall asleep. She hadn't slept much the night before. Actually, she hadn't slept much since her mom's trip to Iran. Alison was a natural worrier, this she knew. But her worrying nature had gotten worse. She couldn't stop thinking about her mom's job and the stresses that had come along with it. When she had said she was okay with the job and the move, she never imagined how stressful it would all be. She knew there would be press and security, but she never thought she would ever have to worry about her parent's marriage.

Her mom had been staying late at work, and even when she was home, she was moody and fighting with her dad. Alison hadn't been home for the fight, but Stevie and Jason had told her about it. She wished they hadn't. It was just another thing for her to worry about. She couldn't believe how much Iran had changed her mom. Alison just wanted her strong and loving mother back. That's all she wanted.

Finally, Alison grabbed the book she was looking for and slammed her locker door.

"Alison."

She turned around to see Jenny Wrath standing behind her. Jenny was one of the snobbiest girls in school and always gave Alison a hard time because of who her mom was.

"Not today Jenny." Alison walked past her, in a hurry to get anywhere else.

"I was just going to say how sorry I am to hear about your mother. I really hope that she is okay." Jenny said as she flipped her hair and faked sincerity.

"My mom is fine."

"Are you sure about that?" Jenny held out her cell phone.

The headlines read, "Secretary of State Rushed to the Hospital for Possible Heart Attack."

Alison's heart dropped into her stomach. She couldn't seem to find her words.

"I was sure you knew." Jenny took back her phone.

Alison shook her head. This couldn't be true. She turned away from Jenny and rushed down the hall. She had to get away from school. She had to make sure that her mom was okay.

* * *

Henry and Stevie walked into the house after returning from the hospital.

"Mom is so stubborn." Stevie told her dad. "I can't believe she went back to work. She should be at home resting."

"You are preaching to the wrong person." He smiled.

Stevie was happy to see him smile. "You should have made her come home."

"Ha. Yeah. Right. Have you met your mother? No one can make her do anything. You know that." Henry chuckled. Elizabeth usually listened him, but she didn't always take his advice. She was extremely stubborn, but he also liked to think of her as unbelievably passionate. She was probably the most passionate person he had ever met. "Kind of like you." Henry noted. Stevie and Elizabeth were very similar. That's why they often butted heads.

Stevie shrugged. "I'm not that stubborn. I totally would have skipped class sit on the couch and be waited on hand and foot."

"You say that now, but you used to hate it when you were in high school. I remember that time you had the flu." Henry pointed at her, and Stevie made a face. "Your mom told you not to leave your bed, but as soon as she turned away you snuck out to go to school."

"I had a big test I didn't want to miss it."

"I think it was because of that boy you liked." Henry laughed as he finally sat down on the couch to rest.

Stevie smiled as she sat beside him. He was definitely right. "I think his name was Tommy. He was my first crush. Mom was so mad at me." Stevie remembered. "She came to school and drug me home."

"She wouldn't let you leave her sight until you were one hundred percent better."

"Maybe we should do that to her." Stevie pointed out. "We should give her a dose of her own medicine."

"I plan on calling her every hour on the hour to check on her. Blake is also going to keep me updated."

"How does she feel about your relationship with Blake?" Stevie knew her mother all too well.

"What your mom doesn't know won't hurt me." He laughed. "We're actually trying to figure out how to make him a permanent part of the family. Blake is a pretty awesome guy. Your mom is really lucky to have him on her side. He'll always protect her."

"Yeah he was really nice to me when we were trapped in the State Department together. He kept me company."

"I give my blessing." Henry tapped her shoulder.

"I'll keep that in mind." Stevie was positive she wasn't Blake's type, and she was actually already seeing someone else. She wasn't ready for her parents to know who yet. Stevie wasn't sure they would approve. Actually, she had a feeling they would not be happy about it. She would wait until her mom was feeling better and her dad was highly medicated.

"It is actually perfect. You're not seeing anyone." Henry kept on.

"Dad," Stevie gave him the luck.

"Sorry." He held his hands up in defense. "I'm just trying to make myself feel better."

"I hope I helped."

"You did kiddo." Henry hugged her.

"Oh God. Is mom really sick?"

Henry and Stevie turned around to see Alison standing behind them. Her eyes were red and puffy.

"Alison," Henry jumped up and held his daughter in his arms. "Your mom is fine. She is at work." He looked at his watch. "What are you doing home?"

"I was worried about mom. I heard she had a heart attack. I can't believe you didn't call me."

"Oh sweetie." Henry hadn't even thought about calling Alison and Jason. He figured they would tell them when they both got home.

"Mom had a panic attack." Stevie sat beside her sister. "Who told you?"

"One of the mean girls at school. I think she has made it her life mission to try and upset me."

"Oh noodle. I am so sorry we didn't call you." He grabbed his phone. "I'm going to call the school and tell them that you are home with me today." Henry told her. "But Alison next time you are upset about something, please call me. I don't want you ditching school."

"Yes sir." Alison nodded.

Henry walked out of the room.

"Is she really okay?" Alison asked Stevie now that their dad was out of the room.

Stevie nodded. "She didn't have a heart attack."

"You didn't say that she was okay." Alison was still shaking.

"She will be okay, Alison." Stevie hugged her sister. "You've got to stop worrying so much or else you are going to be the one having the heart attack.

"Girls." Henry walked into the room. "I'm going to pick your mom up. She is ready to come home."

They were both surprised by this news.

"What do you need us to do?"

"I want you to go pick Jason up." He pulled out his wallet and handed Stevie some money. "You kids go do something fun." He looked at Alison. "And don't worry about your mom. It is not your job to worry about us." He kissed her forehead. "I love you both." Henry said as he walked out of the room and house.

Alison looked at Stevie with her big brown eyes.

"Come on you. Let's go do something fun."

"Okay."

* * *

Blake took a deep breath and exhaled before entering the Secretary's office. Dr. McCord had called and asked for his help. He had warned Blake that things might not be good, but he could have never prepared himself for what he saw when he entered her office.

He saw his boss, the most put together and down to earth person he had ever met, sitting in the corner of her office in the fetal position. She was shaking and there were tears rolling down her face. Blake was at a loss for words. He wasn't even sure what he should do. Dr. McCord asked him to get her out of the office as quietly and quickly as possible. He would be waiting for them downstairs.

"Ma'am," he said softly. He didn't think that she noticed his presence.

She looked up at him but didn't speak. She looked so small and broken. Blake sighed. There were some things that couldn't be unseen. He sat next to her and rubbed her shoulder. "It's going to be okay."

She looked at him before resting her head on his shoulder.

"I know that sounds like a load of bull right now, and you probably want to slap me or something. I don't really know what else to say to make things better." He chuckled, hoping to lighten the mood. "If it will make you feel better, you can. Just been gentle. I have sensitive skin."

Usually she would have laughed or given him a funny look, but this time she simply shook her head.

"I want you to know I would do anything to make you feel better."

"Anything?" She finally spoke softly.

"You bet your ass ma'am." Blake smiled. "Sorry." He always got embarrassed when he spoke his mind in front of her. He had a feeling she understood, but given her latest state he wasn't a hundred percent positive.

"You have nothing to apologize for Blake. I hate that you have seen me like this. I wanted you to think I was super human."

"Aren't you?" He gave her look.

"Nope. Not even close. I thought I would be fine to come in to work. I should have listened to Henry. I just…Blake…I…" She couldn't think clearly. Her mind was flooded with thoughts of Iran.

"You don't have to say anything ma'am. I would be more concerned if Iran hadn't changed you. You shouldn't have to pretend like it didn't. You never have to explain yourself to me. And I will always be by your side to protect you." Blake looked at her. "I've got your back."

"I know." Elizabeth knew that she could always count on him no matter what. "Even when I'm a complete bitch to you and the rest of my staff."

"Always ma'am."

"Thanks Blake."

"Listen, I've got to get you out of here, preferably without anyone seeing you upset." He was still unsure of how to accomplish that goal.

"Henry is on his way." She told him.

"He should be here shortly." Blake informed her as he stood up. "So we should get going."

"Blake, I'm a mess. There is no way to get me out of here without making a scene." Elizabeth was sure of that.

"I'm your assistant, and it is my job to do whatever you need me to do. I'm going to get you out of this office and building without anyone seeing you upset, even if I have to burn it down." He handed her a handkerchief. "Here you go. Wipe your face with this."

Elizabeth wiped her face. Afterwards, Blake helped her up. "You were a CIA agent, and I know you're good at being secretive. The stairwell is right around the corner. We are going to walk as quickly as possible to that stairwell."

"Blake," Elizabeth wasn't so sure that was a good idea. People were going to see her. It was obvious that she had been crying.

"I've already told Mike B and Nadine to handle your meeting. If anyone asks, the President needs you immediately. You will most likely be there for the rest of the day." He grabbed her briefcase and handed it to her. "You just got to make it to that stairwell."

Elizabeth sighed heavily. "Okay." She couldn't believe how nervous she was. She knew everyone was already talking about her, and she didn't want to make it worse.

"Here." Blake handed her a file. "I want you to look at this like it is the most important document you have read in days. If anyone says your name, don't look up. I'll tell him you're busy."

Elizabeth nodded.

"Alright. Let's go." Blake led her out of the office. She read the document. It was actually making her laugh. It was Blake's shopping list. She was surprised at how much fruit he ate.

She could hear her name said a couple of times. Blake always answered with, "I'm sorry, the Secretary is headed to the white house. Email me your question and I'll get you an answer as soon as possible. Thanks."

They made it to the stairwell quicker than she thought they would and to her surprise she immediately started to cry. The day was beginning to take a toll on her and she couldn't wait to be in Henry's arms. She had been so mean to him lately, but his love never wavered. He was always so loving and good to her. And she needed him now more than ever.

Before she knew it, they were outside. Henry was waiting by his car, which was already in the middle of her barricade. Blake really had taken care of everything.

"Henry," she whispered.

"Let's get you home, babe." Henry hugged her and led her into the car. "Thank you, Blake." He shook the young man's hand.

"Anything for her sir. Just make sure she's better before she comes back."

Henry nodded and got into the car. "Everything is going to be okay." Henry whispered in her ear and held her hand. "I promise." He hated seeing her so broken. He knew that with time he could fix her.

Elizabeth nodded. She wanted to go home and forget about everything.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Stevie and Alison sat in the car waiting on Jason to walk out of the school building. Stevie stared at her sister. She was being quieter than usual. "Are you okay?"

Alison shrugged. Usually she would have said sure, but she was tired of pretending. "No." She admitted. "Not even close."

"You can talk to me about it, Alison. You don't have to keep things bottled in all the time." Stevie knew exactly how her sister was. Alison always worried about everyone else and tried to keep her emotions hidden.

Alison sighed. There were tears forming in her eyes. "I wish I could take back my yes." She admitted. "No one told me how hard this would be. I knew mom would be busy and we would be in the spotlight, but I wasn't prepared for this. I hate seeing mom so sad and fragile. I just don't think that I can do this anymore." Alison let the tears roll down her face.

"Oh Ally," Stevie reached over and gave her a hug. "It is going to get better."

Alison shook her head. "You don't know that. You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"Yes I do." Stevie half-way lied. She believed things would get better because they always did, but she didn't know that for sure. Their lives had definitely changed, and sometimes not in a good way. "Mom is the strongest person we know."

"Yeah but she can't control all the bad things that keep happening." Alison argued. "I can't stop thinking about what could have happened if Fred wouldn't have jumped in front of the bullet that was meant for her." Alison's tears couldn't be controlled.

"Alison," Stevie held her hand tight.

"I keep imagining what our lives would have been like had she not come back." Alison shook her head. "It's all I think about all the time. I can't even sleep."

"You don't have to think about it." Stevie hoped to calm her down. "She came back, and she's going to be okay."

"Until the next time she has to go off to a war zone." Alison told her. "I hate her job, and I'm not going to pretend like everything is okay." Alison let go of Stevie's hand and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I don't really remember mom's job in the CIA. I know that she was away a lot, and sometimes she was in danger. But I don't remember that. I remember her coaching my soccer games, burning cookies for the school bake sale, and comforting me when I was sick. That's what I remember. I miss all of that."

"Alison, she still burns the cookies every time she tries to bake." Stevie smiled, hoping to make the situation better. "I know it seems like this job has changed her, but it hasn't. She is still our mom. She still loves us, and she still drives us absolutely crazy."

Alison nodded. She knew that to be true. "What if she has another panic attack? What if it is worse? What if…"

"Hey," Stevie put her hand up. "You can't think about the what ifs. It will drive you insane. You have to remember that above all else mom is mom, and she has always been able to overcome any obstacle that is thrown her way. It may take some time, but you will see, she will bounce back from this. We all will."

"I don't understand why the two of you are here." Jason said as he got into the backseat of the car. "Kevin told me you would be waiting for me." He continued to babble.

Alison and Stevie looked back at him. Alison tried to hide her red, splotchy face.

"Whoa," Jason noticed her face and their expressions. "Who died?"

"Have you not been on your phone today?" Alison asked.

"No. Did mom die?" Jason asked. He was serious. He felt so guilty. "Tell me. I can handle it."

"Mom didn't die, but she had a panic attack at work. It was all over the news that she had a heart attack." Alison told him, still trying to control her tears.

"What?" Jason was shocked. "Is she okay?"

Stevie nodded. "Yes, she is going to be fine. Dad went to pick her up from work. That's why we are here. He thought it might be best if we gave her some time alone. We are going to go see a movie and grab something to eat."

"I think we should go home." Jason said. He immediately felt guilty for yelling at her the other day. "We might make her feel better."

"I think what mom needs is rest." Stevie informed him. She could tell he was worried about her. "Besides I thought you would be excited to see a movie and eat greasy food."

Jason shook. "Are you sure dad is okay with this? I'm grounded." Technically his dad had said the weekend, but Jason was pretty sure he meant the rest of the week plus the week.

"I think you're good my little delinquent brother." Stevie laughed. "Dad is okay with it."

Jason smiled. He could use a relaxing time at the movies. "Wait a minute…Ally, why are you here? Your school gets out thirty minutes after mine."

"I came home early."

"Really?"

"Yes." Ally began to smile. "I kind of skipped school once I found out about mom."

"Seriously," Jason exclaimed. Alison hardly ever did anything wrong. "Are you grounded too?"

"No. I didn't get in trouble." She admitted.

"How is that fair?" Jason complained. "I'm grounded, but you get off without a punishment. Totally not cool."

"She isn't in trouble because she was freaked out about mom. You on the other hand skipped school on purpose because you were mad at mom. Two totally different situations." Stevie tried to explain.

"When did you become a parent?" Jason asked her sarcastically.

Stevie stuck her tongue out at him.

"Come on Jase. Can we please not argue today?" Alison asked.

"Fine. We will argue tomorrow." Jason told her as he sat back in his seat.

"At least now I know I'm the favorite." Stevie laughed.

"How come?" Alison asked her.

"I've never skipped school before."

"You dropped out of school!" Jason chuckled. "Mom and dad probably need to have another kid…I think we're all out as the favorite."

They all laughed and for a moment things seemed to be normal again.

* * *

Elizabeth and Henry walked into the house. It seemed so quiet. "Are the kids still at school?" She had completely lost track of time.

Henry was surprised she had finally spoken. She hadn't said anything on the car ride home. "No. I think they are going to see a movie and get something to eat."

Elizabeth nodded and bit her bottom lip. "I see. You asked them to stay out of the house just in case I had another meltdown or something."

"No," Henry was more frustrated than he had first thought. "I thought maybe you could use some peace and quiet."

"I'm sorry Henry." Elizabeth dropped her head. She couldn't seem to say that enough lately. "You're right. I need some time to think."

"Or maybe we can talk." Henry said with hope in his voice.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I'm fine."

"You are so far from fine Elizabeth." Henry's voice dropped. Sometimes he wished that she wasn't so damn brave. "If you don't start talking about it, you are going to drive yourself to have an actual heart attack."

Elizabeth knew he was right, but she wasn't ready. She couldn't find the right words to explain how she was feeling or describe what she went through. "I'm not ready yet. Please understand that." Elizabeth's voice sounded so tired and hurt.

"Okay. You want me to fix you something to eat? I bet you haven't eaten that much today."

She shook her head again. "No. I'm not hungry."

"How about a bath?" Henry knew how much she loved a good bubble bath. "I can run you some water."

"Henry," Elizabeth sighed. "That actually sounds very nice."

"Alright. Let's go upstairs." He grabbed for her hand, but she pulled away.

"I need a minute, but you go ahead." She hoped to reassure him. "I'll be right up."

"Okay." Henry gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and then walked upstairs.

Elizabeth walked into the living room and grabbed a picture of the family from the shelf. It was from about eight years ago. Jason and Ally were so young, and Stevie was beginning the rough teenage years. But they were all smiling and happy. Elizabeth touched Jason's face with her finger. He was so innocent then. All of them were. She felt so guilty and heartbroken. She took the job as Secretary of State to make the world a better place, but she felt like she was ruining her family's life.

* * *

 **Sorry for such a short update. I wanted to get something out here. Just means there will be more chapters! Yay!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Henry stood patiently outside their bathroom door. It felt like a different world. He had never been afraid of entering the bathroom when Elizabeth was taking a bath. Most of the time he would actually join her. But he knew that wasn't what she needed, and he was paralyzed with fear.

She had been in the bathroom for over an hour. He hadn't heard her rerunning the bath water. She had to be freezing. He had to check on her. He had no other choice. "Elizabeth," he said quietly before gently knocking on the door.

He got no response. "Babe, I'm coming in." He said as he opened the door. He was surprised at what he saw. She was still in her bathrobe, and her hair was dry. The water in the tub had been untouched. She was sitting on the floor next to the tub, her eyes filled with tears. "Honey." He rushed to her side. She flinched at his embrace, sending a chill down Henry's back.

"I know I'm not fine." She said with a broken voice. "I'm smart enough to know that I'm not okay, and that what happened in Iran changed me." She rested her head on Henry's shoulder. "I know that the next thing that you are going to say is that I need to talk about it, but I can't. Every single time I try to talk about it, I'm taken back to that house and that moment. And I just can't do it. Henry, I'm too scared to talk about it. I relive that moment every second of every day, and it is just too hard to talk about it." Her tears fell down her face harder.

Henry wiped away her tears. "You don't have to talk about it until you are ready. I'm sorry that I've been pushing you."

"Oh Henry," Elizabeth looked into his big beautiful eyes. "You have absolutely nothing to be sorry about. I'm the one that's been all over the place lately, I promise I'm going to try to get back to normal."

"Babe, I don't care if it takes you a thousand years to get over this. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to us. I always have and always will have your back. You never have to worry about us. Okay." He touched her face gently so that she was looking at him. As he looked into her eyes, his heart ached for her. He had never seen her so lost, but he was going to do whatever he could to fix her broken heart.

"I need to talk to Jason. I need to make things right." Elizabeth continued to rest her head on his shoulder, as he ran his hands through her beautiful blonde hair. "He is pretty mad at me." That was never her intentions. She was only trying to protect her baby boy.

"Jason is going to be fine. I talked to him last night. He'll get over it." Henry assured her. "I'm sure there will be something else we will do to make him mad. It is only a matter of time when it comes to Jason."

Elizabeth chuckled for the first time in what felt like weeks. "That is probably true."

"I should probably get you something to eat. Or maybe you should take that bath now."

"Can we just sit here for a few more minutes?" Elizabeth asked. She sounded almost like a child.

Henry nodded. "Of course we can." He had to admit that it was very nice to hold her so closely. He had missed their embraces, and he would cherish this moment for as long as possible.

* * *

Blake sat at his desk trying to focus on his work, but he hadn't been able to focus on anything after seeing Elizabeth so broken. The lost look in her eyes had crushed him.

"Blake," Nadine approached his desk.

"Yes, Nadine." Blake looked up from his computer. "How may I help you?"

"I think you should go home."

"Nadine, I'm fine. Home is the last place I need to go."

"Well fine if you want go home then follow me." Nadine said as she turned to walk away.

"Nadine, I'm fine." Blake argued.

"Blake, now." Nadine said in a tone that Blake couldn't defy.

Blake hurriedly followed Nadine into her office.

Nadine closed her blinds.

"Nadine, what is going on?"

"I thought you could use a drink."

Blake sighed. "You are probably right."

She handed him a glass. "Drink up my friend. It has been a hell of a few weeks."

Blake turned up the glass and quickly drank all of its contents.

"Wow." Nadine smirked. "Would you like another glass?"

"No. If I drink anymore I won't be able to stop." Blake admitted.

"I know seeing her so lost has been hard for you." Nadine sat on the couch next to him.

"That's an understatement." Blake sighed heavily. "She is one of the good guys, you know. I don't want this world to change her."

"Blake, have you met that woman? She's not going to let anything or anyone change her." Nadine chuckled. "When she first started I was convinced she was going to fail. I just knew that she wasn't the right person for this job. The president must have gotten it wrong. She doesn't have a political bone in her body."

"I think…" Blake began to speak, but Nadine stopped him.

"All of the things I disliked about her in the beginning, are all the qualities a person needs to be a good leader. She is exactly what this office and this world needed." Nadine smiled. "I must admit that I was jealous of her, but I realize now that Elizabeth McCord doesn't do anything to make people jealous. She does it because she has the biggest heart and truly wants to change the world. I used to pride myself on being able to read people, but I completely misjudged her. And I'm honored to be a part of her staff. Knowing her has made me a better person."

Blake nodded. He completely agreed. He couldn't imagine working for anyone else.

"What happened in Iran was tragic, and it affected her. We have to give her time, but she won't be broken forever. She is going to get better and before you know it she is going to be back to her old self. This…." Nadine pointed around the office and out of the window. "This won't change her…At least not in a bad way. She is much too strong for that."

"Thank you, Nadine." Blake sat his glass down on the table. "That was exactly what I needed to hear."

"And it was exactly what I've needed to say for some time now." Nadine smiled. "And I'm glad I could say it to you."

"Maybe you should say it to her." Blake smirked. "I'm going to take care of a few more things and then call it a day." Blake walked to the door.

"Hey Blake," Nadine stopped him. "Let me know how she is after you've talked to Dr. McCord."

"Will do." Blake nodded as he walked out of Nadine's office. He was really glad Nadine trusted him. He never would have imagined in the beginning that he would actually like her, but she was turning out to be a very good work friend. And after their conversation he felt more confident in the Secretary's situation. He knew that she would come out on top. She always had before.

* * *

Henry sat at his desk trying his best not to ease drop on Elizabeth and Russell's conversation. He wanted to know what Russell was saying. Henry felt the need to protect Elizabeth from anyone he thought might try to hurt her. He knew in the beginning that Russell probably would have done anything to get Elizabeth out of office, but now he wasn't so sure that was true. He felt things were on the mend and that Russell knew how much he and the president needed someone like Elizabeth on their side.

"Hey dad," Allison said as she, Stevie, and Jason walked into the house.

"Hey guys," He stood up to greet them. "You are back earlier than I thought you would be."

"Since I missed most of my classes today, I have some stuff to catch up on." Allison told him.

"Yeah. I actually have some reading to do." Stevie added. "How's mom?"

"She is in the kitchen with Russell Jackson."

All the kids made the same face. They all knew about Russell Jackson and his attitude towards their mother.

"Oh. Is he firing her?" Allison asked in fear. She wasn't sure what she wanted the answer to be and that frightened her even more so.

Henry shook his head. "I don't think the president would win any votes by firing your mother right now." He knew that was true. And he knew that Conrad and Russell knew how bad it would look for his future campaign if she were fired. Henry knew that Elizabeth didn't have to worry about her job. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. And that worried him a little bit. Because he knew there would be other trips that might put her in danger. But he knew that he had to be strong for her and for the kids. That was his most important job.

"Well good." Stevie hugged her father one last time, as did Allison.

"Goodnight girls." Henry said as both girls walked up the stairs saying goodnight.

"Dad," Jason had stood back quietly as his dad and his sisters interacted.

"You okay Jase?"

Jason shook his head. "I'm sorry." Jason said in a low voice. "I'm sorry for getting so mad at mom about the security detail. If she wants me to have security for the rest of my life I'm not going to argue with that."

Henry smiled. He didn't believe him. But it was a nice try. "Come here buddy." Henry wrapped his arms around Jason. "She might let you go without security once you turn twenty." Henry joked.

"Hahaha." Jason mocked. "Do you think she knows that I love her?" He asked, sincerely.

"Of course she does." Henry answered quickly. "And she loves you more than you could ever know."

"I should talk to her. I need to apologize."

"I agree, but why don't you wait until in the morning. Today has been a pretty rough day for your mom. I think she needs some rest."

Jason nodded. "Okay."

"I know I keep saying this, but everything is going to be okay. Even if it doesn't feel like it."

"I know. I'm sorry dad." Jason hugged his dad again.

"I love you, Jason." Henry hugged him one last time.

"I love you too, dad." Jason let go of his dad and went upstairs to his room.

For the first time in days, Henry didn't feel so tense.

One day at a time. He kept telling himself. One day at a time.

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while. I kind of lost my muse, but it came back after watching this last episode. It was incredible and probably one of my favorites to date. Tim Daly is fantastic!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Elizabeth rested in Henry's arms for what seemed like an eternity. After her surprising conversation with Russell, she had finally confided in Henry. She loved that he listened, comforted her, and let her cry without ever saying a word. She didn't need him to say anything. All she needed was to be wrapped in his arms.

"Thank you, Henry." She finally spoke again.

He kissed her forehead. She had nothing to thank him for, but he knew better than arguing with her. It was really hard listening to her talk about the events that happened in Iran. He had wanted to know what happened, and he knew it was good for her to talk about it. But it was extremely hard for him to hear. He wasn't going to let her know that. At least not now.

He wished he could have been there. He had always felt like it was his job to keep her safe, and he felt like he had failed. He knew there was no way that he could have stopped her from going, but it will never stop him from wondering if he could have tried harder to convince her to stay.

"Russell gave me a name of a therapist. His therapist." Elizabeth told him.

"Are you going to go?" Henry asked, praying her answer would be yes.

"I think so." Elizabeth sighed. "I know it is going to feel weird, but I have to get better. I have to figure all of this out. And you are a great listener, but honestly Henry I think that I need to talk to a professional."

"I agree. I think it will be good for you." Henry rubbed her shoulders. "I'm glad Russell isn't giving you a hard time."

"He opened up to me tonight. If Russell Jackson can ask for professional help, then so can I." Elizabeth smiled. "I have to do this for myself and for you and the kids."

"We've got your back."

"I know, and I love you all for that, but I have to get back on track. Damn it Henry, I can't even listen to my staff talk to me. It is like whatever they are saying is going in one ear and out the other. I can't focus on anything other than Iran and Abdol and the fact that as much as I wanted to, I couldn't save anyone. That's what is eating me up inside. I was helpless." Elizabeth wiped away a falling tear from her face.

"Babe, you did everything that you could. You can't blame yourself for what happened."

Elizabeth knew he was right, but it didn't make it any easier. "The crazy thing is that I don't remember how we even got out of the house. I remember Abdol's screams. It is like those screams are the soundtrack to my life these days. It is all I can hear. But every time I try to remember, I can't. It is like I have blocked it out."

"That is completely normal. I think it is okay if you don't remember. It is probably better for you." Henry hoped he was helping.

"I'm so messed up." Elizabeth admitted. "Even after my parents died, I didn't feel like this. I think maybe that's because I didn't see them die, and I knew that they would want Will and I to be strong. My dad was a no bullshit kind of guy. He didn't believe in showing any kind of weakness." Elizabeth smiled thinking back to her dad. He was a good man. "I remember when Will and I would get into fights, and sometimes Will would push me. My dad didn't tell us to stop. He told me to fight back. I wonder what he thinks of me now. Crying like a baby. Yelling at my staff and at you. He would be so disappointed in me."

"No way." Henry stopped her. "Don't ever say that again." His voiced sounded harsher than he had intended, and she took not of that. "Your dad and your mom would be so proud of the mom, boss, and wife that you have become. You are the most impressive and brilliant person that I have ever met. And you shouldn't think otherwise."

"Henry," she started. She hated when he called her brilliant. He was definitely the more brilliant one.

"No. Don't argue with me on this." Henry smiled at her. "I know what I'm talking about. And I wish that I could have met your parents. I would have loved to talk to them about how much I love you, and how great I think you are." He kissed her forehead. "I've got your back, Elizabeth. Always and forever."

"I love you, Henry." She held his hand tightly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as Henry ran his hands through her hair.

"I've got to talk to Jason."

"Yeah I think he feels guilty for yelling at you the other day. As he well he should." Henry told her. "I talked to him about it. I think he knows he was wrong."

"I was the one who was wrong." Elizabeth admitted. "I took my fears out on Jason, and I shouldn't have done that."

"Elizabeth, you had just been through a traumatic event. It is okay for you to be worried."

"There are days where I really think I made a mistake in taking this job." Elizabeth sighed. "I didn't realize the effect this would have on the kids. They shouldn't have to live like this." Elizabeth couldn't help but feel guilty.

Henry shakes his head. Hearing her talk like that was killing him. "The kids are going to be fine."

"Come on Henry. I know you think about it too. I know you wish I wouldn't have taken the job. You have to think that."

Henry closed his eyes debating his answer. "I've thought about it." He answered honestly. "But then I realize how selfish I'm being."

Elizabeth looked at him. Henry had never been a selfish man.

"You are exactly what this country needs. You are smart, honest, and the best part is that you aren't political. That's what makes you the best person to be the Secretary of State. You aren't worried about your own political agenda. You think about what is best for the people, and you try the best to protect us all. Without you we would probably be in a war right now." Henry smiled. "I'm glad you took this job, and you shouldn't second guess the decision ever again."

"Well you know me. I probably will."

"That's okay. I'll be here to tell you that you're wrong."

"Thanks, Henry."

"Are you hungry? Because I am starving."

"Sure." She wasn't that hungry, but she wasn't going to argue with him.

"Great." He stood up and kissed her forehead. "I'll see what I can whip up. You just sit here and rest."

"Okay."

"Oh and Elizabeth," Henry turned around before walking into the kitchen. "I've already told Blake you won't be back in this week."

"Henry," Elizabeth raised her voice slightly. "I have to prep for my interview."

"I know. Blake will be by to help you with that."

Elizabeth glared at him. "I don't like your friendship with Blake."

Henry shrugged.

"I need to work Henry."

"Elizabeth, I shouldn't have let you go back to work so soon after Iran. I know what you are going to say. That it isn't my choice whether or not you go to work. But this time it is. You need to rest, and I'm not letting you out of this house until you've done that."

Elizabeth sighed. She was sure she could figure out a way to get to work.

Henry walked into the kitchen, and Elizabeth couldn't stop thinking about Jason. She really needed to talk to her son.

* * *

 **I know it is short, but I wanted to get this chapter out. Hope you all enjoy.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Henry walked into the living room. "Hey babe, I cooked some pretty good..." He paused when he realized his wife wasn't on the couch. "Elizabeth." He turned toward the stairs to see Stevie.

"Dad, are you okay?" She could tell he seemed anxious.

"Have you seen your mom?" He couldn't help but feel panicked.

Stevie nodded. "Yeah she's upstairs with Jason. It looks like she is sleeping, so I closed the door."

"Oh okay. Well that's good." Henry was relieved. He wasn't sure where he thought she might have gone, but he was worried to have her out of his sight, even if it was only for a minute. He sat down on the couch. He decided it was best to give her sometime alone with Jason. "Were they both asleep?"

"Yeah it seemed that way." Stevie answered.

"That's good. What are you still doing up?"

"I was studying."

"That's my girl." Henry smiled and Stevie chuckled.

"So how did her talk with Russell go?" Stevie sat down next to her father.

"It went well." Henry told her her.

Stevie knew her dad wouldn't give her much more than that. "So she's not fired?"

"The President would be stupid to fire your mother. He knows that. She knows that. We all know that." Henry smiled. "She saved his ass."

"How is she feeling?"

"One step at a time." Henry looked at his daughter. "I think she was a little mad at me. I told her she couldn't go to work tomorrow. I've already talked to Blake."

"I told you she wouldn't be a big fan of your friendship with Blake." Stevie smiled. "You better chain her to the bed and hide all of her technical devices."

"Might need your help tomorrow."

"I've got your back dad." Stevie smiled at her father.

"Thanks kiddo and thanks for being so helpful lately. I don't think we could get through this without you."

"That's funny. I was going to say the same thing about you, dad. You are our hero." Stevie hugged him.

They were lucky she had moved home from college. She really had been a huge help. And it made him feel good that after all these years, he was still their hero. That was a big accomplishment for any father.

"And are you admitting that you are glad I dropped out of school?"

Henry shook his head. "Not a chance."

"Well it was worth a shot." Stevie laughed.

* * *

"Mom," Jason said groggily as he rolled over to see his mom lying in his bed. "What are you doing in here?"

"Oh." Elizabeth opened her eyes slowly. She hadn't been able to sleep in a long time. It actually felt nice to get a little sleep. "I'm sorry. I came to check in on you, and I was so tired I fell asleep."

"Oh," Jason stared at his mom. There was so much he wanted to say.

"I used to do this all the time when you were a baby, but it is probably weird now that you're a teenager. I should get to bed.." She knew they needed to talk but decided to wait. She started to get up from the bed.

"Wait. Mom, I'm sorry." Jason told her. He couldn't wait any longer.

Elizabeth smiled but didn't say anything. She waited for Jason to finish.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you, and I shouldn't have ditched my detail." Jason admitted. "I was just mad."

"Well your father did pick the tallest, least discrete guy on the planet." Elizabeth knew he had done that on purpose, but she wasn't going to bring it up again. "I can imagine how it made you feel after you thought you were going to be a normal kid in normal school." Elizabeth ruffled his hair. "I kind of ruined that for you."

"It's okay." Jason knew he would never be a normal kid. Those days were over. "Kevin isn't so bad. He likes video games almost as much as me. And a lot of the girls liked him too. I got several phone numbers."

"Well that's a big plus. I guess you want us to keep him on then."

"Wait," Jason began to clue in. "Are you going to let me go to school without him?"

"You don't need him, Jason." Elizabeth patted his leg. "You were right. The security had nothing to do with you. I've been going through something since I got back from Iran." She knew it wasn't a secret and the kids weren't stupid.

"I know, mom."

"I know you do. I'm sorry I've been acting like a crazy person."

"You aren't a crazy person, mom."

Elizabeth sighed. "Thanks, baby." She hugged him. "You need to get some sleep."

"Hold up, mom. There is something else I need to talk to you about." Jason hadn't told anyone how he felt, but he was ready to tell his mom. She needed to know.

"What is it baby?"

"That." Jason pointed out as she called him a baby. "I'm not a baby anymore. But that is exactly how you guys treat me."

"Jason. You are our baby." He would always be her baby. That would never change no matter how old he got.

"I didn't know you were in Iran. They let me walk around here like nothing was going on, all while they were secretly freaking out inside." Jason sighed. "I know they were just trying to protect me, but I don't need to be protected. They should have told me."

"Honey," Elizabeth touched his shoulder. "Your sisters weren't supposed to know, but they figured it out. It was a top secret mission, and I know that you aren't a baby anymore. But I'm glad that they didn't tell you. I hate that your dad and sisters had to worry about whether or not I was alive or not. I'm grateful that you didn't have to go through that too." Elizabeth realized in that moment that she never even thought about how Henry and the girls must have been feeling. Yes. She thought about her family as it all was happening and soon after, but she hadn't thought about them enough since returning her home. She needed to talk to all of them about how they felt and how much she loves them."I think you are lucky that you have sisters that are willing to protect you from the bad stuff in this world."

"I would rather be included." Jason huffed. "I know the world sucks." Jason told her.

Elizabeth cringed. She hated when he talked liked that.

"But I also know that you are a superhero disguised as the Secretary of State."

Elizabeth smiled. "You really think that."

"Of course I do. I think that is why it has been so hard to see you so broken."

"Broken?" Elizabeth questioned. She hated that he thought she was broken.

"Yeah," Jason admitted. "You are always so put together and on top of things."

"I must be a good actor." Elizabeth chuckled.

Jason smiled and Elizabeth wrapped her arms around him. "I love you so much Jason. And I'm sorry if you feel like we treat you like a baby. The truth is we probably do because you are our baby. But I know you are growing up, and I will try my best to let you do that." Elizabeth hugged him even tighter.

"Ow! Mom! That super human strength is kicking in." Jason laughed. "I'm really glad you are okay. I couldn't imagine team McCord without you."

"You never will!" Elizabeth stood up. "Okay. You need to get to bed young man. It is way past your bedtime."

"Oh. Alright. But you are the one that woke me up." Jason reminded her.

"I get great pleasure in watching you sleep." Elizabeth smiled. "I better get to bed before your dad puts out a missing persons APB on me."

Jason smiled. Maybe his mom was getting back to normal and everything was going to be okay.

"So Jason, do you think I'm better than Batman?" She asked as she reached the door.

"That depends. Can you talk dad into letting me go to a basketball game this weekend?" Jason crossed his fingers.

"Not on your life buddy." Elizabeth knew Jason was grounded. "I have a feeling we are all going to be staying in with you this weekend."

"But mom."

"Hey no whining. Be treating like a baby works both way."

Jason gave her a look. She was good. "Goodnight mom."

"Goodnight Jase." Elizabeth walked into the hallway and shut his door. She leaned against the door frame and a small tear fell from her face.

"Elizabeth," Henry walked up the stairs. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "I will be. One day at a time." She rested her head on his shoulder as they walked to their bedroom hand in hand.


End file.
